Fountain pen



C. E. KLAUS March 24, 1931.

FOUNTAIN PEN Original Filed April A25A 1928 INVENTOR ZZJila-z J6 2 BY Yn 6 G- ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 24, 17931 STATES Cuentas Knaus, ouwitxrnseuee,ennnsytvania EOUNTAIN PEN i l* yimplication ieavapiii '251928, seriarNQ; 272,81'7Lh'R`enewe June 19,r `1.930,r

This invent-ion relatesto improvements iin fountainY pens, and itconsists ofthe constructions, combinations and arrangements hereinrunsvdry, the necessity for drawing upon the lo* auxiliary `reservoir servingasl an indication that the fountain pen requires reiill-ing vAnotherobject ofy thefinvgention i's'to improve the socalled self-fillingfountain pen;

. to the extent of provi'dingjmain and auxiliary Y inlrreservoirs, and anovel arrangement of' pressure strips and levers by whichboth-reservoirs maybe refilled simultaneously, and thecont'ents oftheauxiliary reservoir dischargedintofthe main reservoir,respectivelya 20'O'th'erobjects and'adventageszappeh the following specification,reference beingv had` Y Y haustedtooxsoonij This difficulty often'occursat most inopportuno-times. yOne may bein' to,- the accompany-ingdrawings, in which Figurev 1 isa perspective view of'a f'cmntainypen'having theimprovements incorporated" 25Ltherein, l 5

' Figure 2 1s a longitudinal section of one end of the fountain, pen,the reservoir and; the

actuating assembly thereof being vslio'wjri in whatish'erein regarded asa normal positiom, W' Figure is a sectionalviewillustratingthe action ofthe mainlever in depressing both reservoirs prior tor a fillingoperation,

Figure 4 is asectional view illustratingthel action of the auxiliarylever'in depressingt-he 35" auxiliary reservoirfor a'dischargeofinkintothe main reservoir,

Y Figure 5de across vsection taken Qn talle;`

line 555 of Figure 2,A n A l Figure l6 is afperspective view ofthemain;A

Figure-'7 isl a' perspective view. of the: aux-` iliarylever, i l Fig".A8 isa planvview of the main spring,`

spring, I

Figure 10 is a plan view of the auxiliaryVV Figure 12 isa planjv'iew ofthe actuating assembly. f Y" f .n The advent *of the'sdcalledself-filling fountain pen hasl been of undeniable advan tagetofrequentusers of a writing implement j ofE this character! The"'mererequirement oft PATENT orrlcs.; i

insertin'fgjthe pointv ofthe fountain pen into- K- a vesselof? in-lr forthefilling of the inlrreservoirby simply releasing the previouslylifted' filler lefver has undoubtedly promoted the'` use of the*fountain pen. The obviation of the formerly known fountain pen lilersandthe attendant troubley of unscrewi'ngv the pen, with the perpetualdanger offsoiling' the fingers, clothing, etc., cornprisesja directcon-v tribution tothe almostv universalW acceptance;`V

of `Atlie fountain pen;`

VVhile; 'itmay not advantage has somedisadvantage, yet it is true,` evenin respect to self-filling fountain pensi, that the supply of'inlrbecomes exthe improvedpen ldisclosed hereimbut in`a dp be axiomaticlthat every' dition to supplying thejmere functionolf! an auxiliaryreservoir, that circumstance is hereinemployedas an indicator ofthenecessity' fortherefilling of the pen.` In other words,

when the supplyof ink is" so far ldiminished that the auxiliaryreservoirmust be drawn4 upon, it'is'tiinel torefill thepen.

Reference isinow made to? the drawing.

"y Thefpenbarrel'- l is Vof any `known construe tion.'V Ithas a slot 2alfordingcommunication witlfitlieinterior. It is within and beh-indtheslot that a ycertain actuating assembly is lo- Y cated;Thatjassembl'y'controls the i. voirs as resentl va ears; 451 Eigure9.1sa plan vievvofl the inalnpresserfA '7 p y pp ink reser- TheiIikreSerVQirs comprisea rubber org striction is like a small neck. Itsformation is permanent, that is to say, the constriction does notdisappear when the sac is distended, as is seen in Figure 2. The sac issuitably connected With the pen point.

The neck produces a relatively small oriiice 7 in which the phenomenonof surface tension acts to retain a volume of ink in the auxiliaryreservoir. It is through the orilices thatink from the auxiliaryreservoir 6 is discharged into themain reservoir When needed. Thefunction of the actuating assemblymay novr have consideration.

A main presser strip 8 serves to simultaneously depress the main andauxiliary reservoirs 5 and 6 prior to filling them with ink (Fig. 3). Anauxiliary presser strip 9 serves to depress the auxiliary reservoir 6alone (Fig. 4) in orderv to discharge the contents thereof into the mainreservoir 5. The tWo presser strips are of stilil metal or othermaterial. ihey are intended to press portions of the sac at.

Separate and distinct levers are supplied for each presser strip. Themainlever (Fig.` 6) actuates the main presser strip 8 (Fig. 3). Theauxiliary lever 11 (Fig. 7) actuates the auxiliary strip 9 (Fig. 4).These levers are independently `pivoted at 12 and 13. The pivotingoccursrin the slot 2, and the pivot pins are held in the adjacentportions of the barrel'l as shown in Figures l and 5. v

vThe levers are nested for the sake of compactness. The pivot pin 13 ofthev lever 11 avoids the sides of the main lever 10 bv' occupyingclearances 14 in the latter (Fig. 6). rlhese clearances are formedbyvcuttingY away portions of the main lever which is of chan,- nelformation. The pivot pin 12 of the lever 10 passes under the lever 11,the former hav-v ing ears 15 toV receive it. The main lever is bent upin a U-shape at places as indicated in Figure 6. A receptacle for thelever 11 is Y thus provided.

One end of the main lever terminates in a linger nail-lift 16 by. whichthe lever is Withdrawn from the slot 2 preparatory to refilling the pen.Similarly, one end of the lever 11 terminates in a finger nail-lift 17for the same purpose. The two nail-lifts are opposite to each other.Liftingof the lever 10 in one direction depresses both reservoirs (F ig;

3) While liftingof the lever 11 in the opposite direction depresses theauxiliaryreservoir only. Y p

Springs 18 and 19 support the respective strips 8 and 9. The parts areriveted together l or otherwise secured as at 20 and21. The springs arevery thin and flexible, the main purpose thereof being to holdthepresser strips in place. The two springs are bent to provide heelscollectively designated 22.

The latter are secured together and to a They are not supposed to bendfor vervoir to have Vbecome exhausted.

support 23 which is stationed at the bottom of the barrel 1. The supportmay be mainly in the nature of a ring to lit Within the barrel. Itshould be designed to stay in place. It must not move Within the barrelbecause that Would resultV in a misalignment of the actuating assembly.

Slits 24 and 25 in themain spring 18 respectively admit the main lever10 and auxiliary lever 11 When the latter are turned to engage therespective presser strips. The auxiliary spring 19 has a slit 26 inregistration With the slit 25 so that the auxiliary lever 11. may reachthe presser strip 9. The free extremityof the main presser strip 8 isforked or slotted at 27 to receive the spring 19 when the parts are inthe normal position (Fig. 2), and to avoid interference With the springwhen the main presser strip acts to depress both reservoirs.

It is to be noted'that the breadth of the forked end of the main presserstrip 8 is the same as that ofthe auxiliary presser strip 9. The presserstrips thus overlap. The forked end thus bears against the auxiliarypresser strip when the main lever 10 is actuated, thus causing bothstrips to function in the depression of the sac 3. In this respect theaction of the presser strips is cumulative. The spring 19 is slightlynarrower than the slot 27.

The operation is readily understood. Figure 2 has been assumed asillustrating a normal position of the sac 3 and the actuating assembly.The main and auxiliary levers are substantially flush vvith the outsidesurface of thek pen barrel. Assume the necessity of` filling the pen,that is to say the sac 3. The main lever 10 is raised to the position inFigure 3. One end of the slit 24 acts as a stop for the lever, limitingthe movement to a right angular `position in respect to the pen barrel.Depression of the main strip 8 and the simultaneous depression of theaux'- iliary strip 9 causes nearly complete compression of the mainreservoir 5, and the entire auxiliary reservoir 6, driving out most ofthe air. A release and restoration of the lever 10 causessimultaneous.filling of both the reservoirs With ink. V

Assume the supply of ink in the main res- The ink in the auxiliaryreservoir 6 Will remain Where it is because ofthev .surface tension ofthe liquid in the orilice 7 The phenomenon is to be identified with eyedroppers, ear syr-` inges and the like. vIt is required to fill the mainreservoir 5 from the auxiliary reservoir 6. Invert the fountain pen sothat it points yto .the ceiling.l Raise the 'auxiliary lever 11 so thatthe position in Figure 4 is assumed.

One end of the slit 26 in the spring 19 acts as a stop to limit themovement of the lever to a position at right angles to the penigvergziear barret f r-.Tlie depression ofthe auxiliarystrip 9 forcestheink'y from the vreservoir 6 intoxthe reservoir 5. The pen i'srestored'to. the writ#` ing position. The inkfinthe. main reservoir.-

runs down toward the. point. If the auxiliary `lever 11 isy now lowered,the auxiliary reser-V voir will. expand, drawing in air. from tlie main4reservoir instead ,ofiV ink.

Since. the main reservoir will be only. partl; ly full of there,y isnodanger. of' redraw- 'ing Yany into` the. auxiliary :'reservoir. The

lattery will fill with air',l andotlier air from outside `will bubble upthrough the inkl inthe` main ,reservoir Vto establish, an equilibrium.The pen is` nowy ready .for use, but the. user must see to it that he,refills the pen at the first opportunity. althoughche. now has a sup-vply sufficient for considerable writing.

The advantages of the improvement areas follows: Embarrassment of `alack of supply of ink when the ability to write may be mostV insistent,is avoidable. I The necessity for drawing upon the auxiliary reservoirserves as a primary warning thatthe pen will soon run dry. `Theprovision of the auxiliaryresf ervoir suppliesthe writer with'enougliink presser thus to depress both pressers and collapse both reservoirssimultaneously or upon the other presser to collapse only one reservoir.

2. A fountain pen comprising a barrel, a iiexible sac locatedwithin thebarrel having a constriction vdividing it into main and aux- I iliaryreservoirs and defining a connecting virtue of saidY engagement todepress bothV orifice, a pair of overlappng presser strips, a lever toengage oneof the strips and so move one of the strips away from theother andV depress one of the reservoirs, and a second lever to engagethe other strip which engages the first strip so that both movesimultaneously and so depress both reservoirs. Y ,Y

`3. A fountain pen comprising a barrel, a flexible` sac located withinthe barrel Vhaving a constriction dividing it into main and auxiliaryreservoirsy and defining a connecting orifice, main and auxiliarypresser strips, resilient means for individually supporting the stripsiii normal engagement with each other, a lever to move against the mainstrip and so move the auxiliary strip therewith by priortoiilling kthereservoirs, anda levertoV move: against the'auxiliary strip 'only toIde-` 'press the auxiliary. reservoir and discharge the ink content intothe main reservoir.

4. AV fountain pen, comprising abarrel, ai

flexible sac inthe barrel having a constriction dividing it intoV mainand. auxiliary reser-HK voirs l,and defining a connecting: ori-fice,ra

main presser strip disposed over the auxiliary reservoir andk a part.oft-he main reservoir,

an auxiliary strip `disposedovejrv the auxiliary reservoir, resilientmeans individuallygsupporting tliepresser strips but in normalenegagement with each other, a lever to move the auxiliary strip outjofsaid engagement for depression of `the v'auxiliary reservo-1r to discharge` the. ink4 contenti into the ,main reser- Voir, and ay lever "tomove against the main strip, thus to move both kstrips b y virtue ofsaid engagement, and d-epi-'essthe main and' auxiliary reservoinpreparatory-toaA filling:

operation. f

5.` AV fountain pen` comprising a barrel with a slot, aflexib-lesac inthe barrel divided'V into wtnected'main vand* auxiliary inkreservons,Yf'

main and auxiliary `presser strips, resilient means individuallyVsupportingl the pressen stripsI butin normal engagementwith each .iother-,a leverto` moventhe auxiliarystrip out n of said engagement andagainst the auxiliary reservoir to dischargethe ink content into. the,ina-in reservoinya lever to' move against the. main stripfand somoveboth strips-against thev reservoirs; by virtue 0f SaidV engagement t0depress the latterl Preparatory t0. -llns, and'pivots by which thelevers are.individually wanted in nestedtel-atenship in theslfot.-

6. A fountain pencomprisin-g a barrel hav.-

divided" inte connecting; mais; and 'auxiliary reservoirs and.auxiliary/levers Shared c tf1-Permit testine the Slot, pins by 'whihi,the levers-arepivoted forfindi-vidual move- 'ment vin theslets.auxiliary Presser Strip- Which is actuated-'by movement of the atx--latyf 1ever t0; depress; the auxiliary reservoir, amaiii presserl stripwhich gisactuated by: De@vertrat,.v Of? the mais lever t0-diepleSs--;vboth reservoirs, a 'pair` of springs whichv the. presser` stripsy areindividually supported butinmrmal Contact with' eachother Sco-that thelatter function mayiresult; and means Wthnthebarrel t0 Support bothSprings and, Presser Strips. f i s 7. A fountain pen comprisi'ngabarrelwith al slot, 'afliex-i'ble sac thebarifel-divided into ing` a slot, aflexiyblegsacin.the-barrel -beiiig-v ceneeetedf mainY and amflfary:reservoirs; main and- .auxiliary levers formedito 'permit nesting in theslot, pins bywhic-htliey areY pivotedin the slot for individualmovement,

a main spring having two slits, an auxiliary spring having aVsinglegslitin;registrationwith one ,off the slit'sgan auxiliarypresser' strip carriedfby'` theyauxiliary spring bei-ng- 'aetllatedabyf- .the` auxiliary levery through the registeringslits to depress theauxiliary reservoir, a main presserA strip With vvliich the auxiliarystrip is held in normal engagement by the auxiliary spring, beingVactuated by the mainlever through the remaining slit to move both stripsagainst both reservoirs, and meansrwithin the barrel to which thesprings are attached thus supporting the strips.

8. An actuating assembly for a fountain pen comprising a main presserstrip having a forked end, an auxiliary presser strip on Which said endis superimposed, main and auxiliary springs attached to and supportingthe respective strips, the spring of the auxiliary strip Working in theforked end, both springs being slitted, a main lever which is movablethroughv the slit of one of the springs to bear against the main strip,and an auxiliary lever Working through said other slits and said forkedend to bear against the auxiliary strip.

9. An actuating assembly for fountain pens comprising a main-lever ofchannel formation having' ears, a linger nail-lift andcut-avvay portionsforming clearances, an auxiliary lever nested in the main leverfandhaving a finger nail-lift, a pivot pin received by the ears anda pivotlpin passing through the auxiliary lever and being situated in saidclearances.

10. A fountain pen comprising a barrel having a slot, aplurality ofconnected reservoirs in the barrel, and anactuating assembly locatedWithin and behind the slot comprising overlapping pressers respectivelybearing on each o-f the reservoirs, and levers pivoted in the slot beingarranged to depress the pressers singly or cumulatively.

11. A fountain pen comprising a barrel having an opening, a plurality ofreservoirs in the barrel, and an actuating assembly accessible at theopening comprising pressers respectively bearing on each of thereservoirs, Y `and means arranged to depress the pressers.

12. A fountain pen having a barrel, a flexible ink sac to 'supply a penpoint consisting of a plurality o-f connected reservoirs, compressermechanism located betvveenthe ink sac and awall of the barrel, andselecting means mounted on said Wall, being operable against saidmechanism in one direction to cause compression of all of the reservoirsand in another direction to cause compression of onlyrone reservoir. A

13. A fountain pen having a barrel with an opening, a plurality ofconnected inlrres-V ervoirs inthe barrel, compressor mechanismaccessible at the opening' comprising pressers -for each of therespective reservoirs, and

means operative in the opening to variously actuate said mechanism. Y

` V14V. A fountain pen having a barrel With an opening, a plurality ofconnected ink reservoirs in the barrel, means movable in theV opening tocause either simultaneous com` pression of all of the reservoirs orcompression of only one, compressor means which is compress bothreservoirs or compress only one reservoir.y

CHARLES n. KLAUS.

